Boeing-Built Satellite Blows Up, Airport Hugs Get Time Limits And 'Gate Lice' Get Bug Sprayed In This Week's Beyond Cars Roundup

Boeing seemingly can’t catch a break between the endless problems with the 737 Max and the Starliner’s failed crewed test flight. Intelsat announced on Monday that one of its satellites, built by Boeing, broke up in geostationary orbit. Multiple organizations are tracking the debris to avoid collisions and a potential cascading catastrophe. It’s unclear why the satellite exploded into at least 20 pieces. - Ryan Erik King Read More

Being at the airport can bring out the worst in some people, and the rule breaking starts before folks even get on the plane. There are rules governing the boarding process, but there is always passengers who try and skip the line. Apparently, the industry term for those eager beavers who try to board before their group is called, or who hover at the gate even though their boarding group is 6 zones away is “gate lice.” American Airlines is now testing a new gate lice deterrent system that employs good old fashioned public shaming for trying to cut in line. - Logan Carter Read More

The arrival and departure areas at any international airport can devolve into traffic gridlock during peak hours. To combat this, Dunedin International Airport in New Zealand introduced a three-minute time limit on hugs in its drop-off zone late last month to keep vehicles moving. People engaging in public displays of affection for more than three minutes will be asked to take it to the parking lot, allowing free visits for 15 minutes or less. - Ryan Erik King Read More

A helicopter crashed into a 1,000 foot high radio tower Sunday night in Houston, Texas, causing a massive fire ball and killing multiple people, including a child. - Erin Marquis Read More

By any objective measure, and even if you support his policies, Donald Trump isn’t fit to be president. He’s too old, his mind is gone, he’s scared to debate, he’s dodging interviews, and nothing he says makes any sense. Take, for example, his current obsession with hydrogen cars blowing up his audience. No, I don’t mean something insane that he said once. Trump keeps bringing up hydrogen cars exploding, often pointing out that a member of the audience who would be unrecognizable after the explosion. - Collin Woodard Read More

Over the years, Elon Musk has made a lot of money and used it to pay other people to make some pretty cool things for him. He’s also a horrible person whose list of scandals is so long, you’ve probably forgotten things that would have gotten any other CEO fired, and nowhere is that attitude on display clearer than over on Twitter, the social media network he bought while claiming to defend free speech. As Adam Conover points out in his latest video, though, all the evidence points to Musk doing more to kill free speech in this country. - Collin Woodard Read More

What do you do when you’re a billionaire social media mogul worried about people sharing the publicly available location of your private jet? You simply ban them from your platform. Meta suspended accounts tracking the jets of co-founder Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk and other celebrities from Instagram and Threads on Monday. However, the ban likely won’t stop anyone from finding the aircraft carrying the rich and famous. - Ryan Erik King Read More

Believe it or not, commercial planes aren’t designed to collide with anything except adorably aloof birds at both 575 miles per hour while soaring through the sky (or 20 mph taxiing around an airport.) A panini of fiberglass cabin interior wall, assembly plant air and thin sheet aluminum is the only thing shielding passengers from the elements when they buckle into a seat. I promise you, it couldn’t be safer. - Ryan Erik King Read More

Airlines have a terrible record of handling wheelchairs and other equipment for disabled travelers. On average at least two dozen wheelchairs get damaged every day. The Department of Transportation has just issued a $50 million fine to American Airlines after a several years-long investigation into these very abuses of disabled passengers. - Tom McParland Read More

Over $275 million in fines have been levied against airlines across the past four years. Commercial aviation isn’t typically a marketplace that can regulate itself. Customers rarely have the power to force change with their wallets collectively. Government agencies are the main force ensuring that airlines treat their passengers fairly. - Ryan Erik King Read More